


Bluebeard's Boy

by anysin



Series: Bluebeard's Boy [1]
Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Do Not Archive (The Magnus Archives), Getting to Know Each Other, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sexual Abuse, Step-family incest, Trans Jonathan Sims
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:14:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23676697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anysin/pseuds/anysin
Summary: When young Jon gets orphaned, his grandmother's friend, Elias Bouchard, takes him in. A dark Jon/Elias AU.
Relationships: Elias Bouchard/Jonathan Sims
Series: Bluebeard's Boy [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1704904
Comments: 25
Kudos: 64





	Bluebeard's Boy

**Author's Note:**

> Basically the story of how "Bedwarmer" came to be. This will get dark, so mind the tags.

"Jon," Mrs. Wilson says from the doorway. "Mr. Bouchard is here."

Jon takes in a deep breath. This is it: his first meeting with his new guardian. He has been living with the Wilson family ever since his grandmother died, and while they haven't been unkind to him, it's obvious that he hasn't been a welcome guest. Mr. Bouchard, Elias Bouchard, is supposed to be an old friend of Jon's grandmother, although Jon has never seen or even heard of him before. He wonders what this man is like, what it will be like to live with him.

"Yeah," he says, lifting his bags up from the floor. He only has two and the other one isn't even full, but that's all he needs; very few things in his grandmother's house were Jon's and he hasn't missed what he had to leave behind. He feels a little guilty about that sometimes, that his grandmother's memory means so little to him, but a part of him believes that's how she would have liked it anyway. This way, they matter to each other in equal amounts.

Wilson family is going to feel the same way, he knows it, and he has to wonder about the future, whether Elias Bouchard will one day shove him onto someone else too. But for now, he follows Mrs. Wilson out of what has been his room for the last month and follows her to the stairs and downward.

Jon trails after Mrs. Wilson to the living room, where Mr. Wilson and a man Jon assumes to be Mr. Bouchard are sitting on the sofa together. Mr. Bouchard definitely looks like someone his grandmother would deign to spend her time with: he's well-dressed and elegant, sitting straight-backed on the sofa as he listens politely to Mr. Wilson's ramblings, his expression distant. He is younger than grandmother's usual companions, and wealthier; it makes Jon wonder just how his grandmother came to know this man. He doesn't have much time for his ponderings, however, as Mr. Bouchard seems to become aware of his presence and turns to look at him, his eyes sharpening.

"Mr. Bouchard," Mrs. Wilson calls out, grasping Jon by his shoulders. She pulls him before her, nudging him towards the sofa. "This is-"

"I believe I know." Mr. Bouchard stands up and walks towards Jon, smiling. He extends his hand. "Jon, yes? I'm Elias, and I'm very pleased to meet you."

*

They travel from Bournemouth to London. On the train, they are constantly surrounded by people, while in the taxi there is a driver listening in on them, making any in-depth conversation difficult. Their small-talk is scarce and vague, giving Jon no idea about what Mr. Bouch- _Elias_ is actually like. He has to wait until they make it to Elias's house before Elias really starts talking to him.

"This is your new home, Jon," Elias says, resting his hand on Jon's shoulder when he has finished paying the driver. Jon almost doesn't notice; he is busy staring at the house before him, an old brick house that appears to have two floors and maybe an attic, with many windows that are all curtained up. The house stands among other similar ones on a busy street, ordinary in looks, but somehow it still stands out to Jon. He blinks when Elias's fingers give him a slight squeeze, and he turns towards his new-

Well, that's one thing he needs to decide about Elias: what exactly he is to Jon now. Jon isn't sure if he's ready to call him a father, even an adoptive one, anytime soon, if ever.

"It's a nice house," he says, which is true enough. It's definitely a lot fancier than Jon's grandmother's house or the Wilson home, but Jon will see how well he truly likes it when he gets inside. "You live here alone or-?"

"Alone." Elias releases Jon's shoulder and leans down to pick up his bags from the ground, lifting them up before Jon can protest. Elias ignores him, starting to walk towards the house as he talks: "I have cleaning personnel who come to tidy the house once a week, but other than that we will be do chores in our house ourselves. I hope you are used to that."

"I am," Jon says, although he's a little surprised. Elias doesn't strike him as someone who does his own chores, so Jon had expected him to have help at home, maybe even a wife. Then again, if Elias did have a wife, wouldn't she have joined him to fetch Jon? But now it looks like he and Elias will be living alone with each other.

It shouldn't be too difficult; the Wilson home had been full of people, but Jon and his grandmother had made a solitary family, so living with Elias is probably a lot similar to living with her. The key difference, of course, is that Elias is a complete stranger to him and Jon has no idea what to expect from him. He can't help but wonder how things will go.

But he says nothing as he follows Elias to the front door, and then inside.

Inside, Elias's house is simple and sparse, to the point it's almost clinical. Jon isn't allowed to look around too much yet as Elias leads him upstairs, where a bedroom is waiting for him. It's bigger than any room Jon has had for himself before, with an old wooden desk standing by the window, a small, cozy-looking bed in the corner with a drawer standing next to it and an empty shelf lining up another wall, waiting to be filled with things. There is a closet too, which has its door open; Jon glimpses himself in the mirror on the inside of the door, and a moment later, Elias as he enters the room.

"I'll let you settle in here," Elias says, smiling at Jon as their eyes meet on the mirror. Elias lowers Jon's bags on the door and straightens up, still looking at Jon through the mirror as he puts his hands on Jon's shoulders. "But I would like you to join me soon for a dinner. We can talk about the rules of this house then, and get to know each other a little better."

Jon nods; it sounds like a plan. "I do have questions for you," he murmurs. _How did you know my grandmother? Why did you take me in?_

"I'm sure you do." Elias drops his hands off Jon's shoulders and steps away from him, turning towards the door. "I will be waiting for you downstairs. Take your time, Jon."

He takes his exit, leaving Jon to his new room.

Jon sighs, kneeling down next to his bags. He doesn't have a lot to unpack; he will be joining Elias soon. Get to know him.

He's not sure if he looks forward to that or not.

*

In the end, Jon ends up lingering in his room for half an hour. He doesn't really have a lot of property, but he takes his time to set things down on the desk and arrange them on the shelf and in the closet, after which he looks out of the window for a while. He has a good view to the street, but he notes with chagrin that he can't exactly get out of the window here without attracting attention, not to mention there is quite a drop from the window to the street, with no trees nearby for support. He always had the opportunity to slip out in his previous homes; he will have to find a way to make things work here.

For now, however, it’s time to explore the house. Jon leaves his new room and takes a look around the second floor, discovering that it seems to consist mostly of a small toilet and many locked doors. There is one other open door which Jon assumes to lead to Elias’s bedroom, and he stands by it for a while before deciding against peeking in. He has just moved in, so maybe it’s best not to get too nosy yet.

But he is curious.

Jon goes downstairs, hearing Elias move around in the kitchen. The scent carrying over from the kitchen isn’t anything special, but by now Jon is hungry enough that he perks with interest anyway, but he doesn't head there immediately. He sets out to explore the first floor, soon discovering a room that appears to be Elias's study and an impressive library. He longs to go take a closer look at both, but he settles for eyeing them from the doorways, reasoning that Elias will show them to him later. He hopes.

He checks the bathroom too, which is much bigger downstairs, containing the largest bathtub that Jon has ever seen. But when he goes inside to take a closer look, he discovers that the bathroom is stocked with various menstrual products, sight of which catches Jon by slight surprise; so, Elias knows about him. Of course, it makes sense that he does - he is Jon’s guardian, after all - but now Jon wonders how he’s supposed to address it. Then again, in a way Elias already has: from the beginning, he has called Jon by his name.

It soothes Jon a little bit, but he decides he can’t just avoid the subject; he needs to know what Elias thinks of him. He heads into the kitchen, finding Elias kneeling by the open oven, checking what appears to be a pair of chicken breasts along with vegetables.

"Not much longer," Elias says, obviously aware of Jon's presence. "What do you think of the house?"

Jon inhales quickly.

"You have an impressive library," he says first, to break the ice. "Are you a scholar?"

"Something like it." Elias smiles, closing the oven door again as he extends to his full height. He looms easily over Jon. "I run an establishment called The Magnus Institute. It’s a facility dedicated to cataloging and investigating supernatural encounters."

Jon almost forgets about everything else that has been on his mind when he hears that. Supernatural encounters- there is a place that investigates them and them alone? It sounds incredible to Jon. Now he wants to go explore Elias’s library even more, to see what kind of material he has about the subject.

"Have you been doing it for a long time?" he asks, curious.

"I started out as the head of the Institute in the mid-nineties, but I worked there for many years before that. So yes, a long time is correct." Elias cocks his head to the side. "Are you interested in the supernatural, Jon?"

"A little bit." Jon isn’t ready to tell Elias just how much, not yet. "I would love to hear more about your work."

"Well, Jon, I will be happy to tell you all about it." Elias frowns a bit, his brows knitting closer together. "Does something trouble you? You look like you want to say something."

All right, now it’s now or never.

"I saw you had bought pads and such. I appreciate that." He licks his lips, stomach knotting as he grows anxious. "But it made me wonder-"

"Your grandmother has told me about you," Elias says, his voice taking a soothing tone. "And I want you to know, Jon, that it’s all absolutely fine. You are my stepson now, and I want you to be exactly who you are."

Relief sinks into Jon, so hard his knees almost buckle. His grandmother, for all her flaws, had accepted him, but while never hostile, the Wilson family had been uncomfortable with him, and he had worried about Elias's reaction. But Elias's eyes are sincere as he looks at Jon, and Jon relaxes.

"Let's see about that stepson part," Jon says, because he doesn't want to get too soft. They are still strangers to each other, after all. "We should get to know each other, first."

Elias smiles.

"That's certainly true," he amends. "But I do hope you start thinking of me as family eventually, Jon. I aim to be that."

"Yeah," Jon says, not sure what else to say. He feels warm in the face.

Elias just smiles before looking over to the oven again, leaning down.

"I think this is ready," he says. "I hope you are too. We have a lot to talk about."

*

At the dinner table, they start with Jon's questions.

"How did you know my grandmother?" Jon asks, cutting his chicken breast into smaller pieces.

"She was childhood friends with my mother, Eleanor." When Jon fails to react to that name, Elias continues: "My mother died when I was just out of school, and I met your grandmother at her funeral. I was curious about my mother's past, so I insisted on staying in touch with your grandmother, and eventually we became friends. We didn't really see that much of each other over the years, but we kept in touch through phone calls and letters."

"She never mentioned you," Jon says.

"I imagine not. I think she was a little embarrassed about having a friend who was noticeably younger than her." Elias glances down at Jon's plate. "Please, eat. I can't promise you I'm the best cook, but I've tried my hardest."

Elias is right; the chicken is dry and plain, but it's edible. Jon is trying to be less of a picky eater these days, and he might as well start trying harder now. "Why did you take me in? Have you always dreamed of becoming a father?"

"Not exactly." Elias is smiling first, but he gets serious, putting his utensils down so he can fully focus on Jon. "I owe a great deal to your grandmother, Jon. See, I was never that close to my own mother, and she allowed me to know her in ways I never would have otherwise. There was no way I would leave her grandson adrift."

Because otherwise Jon would have been, is the subtext. It’s not a surprise that nobody else cared - they would have come for him by now - but it still stings a little, and Jon has to look away from Elias.

"Jon." Elias leans towards him, tilting his head down so they’re looking each other in the eye again. "I took you in because I wanted to, by my own free choice. I don’t want you to think that you’re any kind of a burden to me, because you are not. We’re in this together now, and will stay together."

Elias appears to mean what he says, but Jon has to wonder. Still, he accepts Elias’s words with a nod, cracking a slight smile.

"All right," he says. "So, the house rules?"

"Yes." Elias leans away from him, picking up his fork again. "There are a few-"

*

By the end of the day, Jon has a lot to absorb. He has been surprised with the news that he will be home-schooled from now on, tutored at home; the idea is both a relief and somewhat anxiety-inducing. He has a curfew now, something he didn’t have before, and while Elias had said that everything is up for negotiation, he also had a warning for Jon.

"I consider myself easy-going," he had said towards the end of their meal, "but if you explicitly go against what I’ve said, I won’t hesitate to punish you. Just be aware of that."

It had sounded ominous, but Jon supposes it’s understandable; boundaries are important. Jon is willing to work with Elias, hoping to get as much freedom as he can.

When he has switched to his pyjamas at night, his clothes and binder left on the back of the chair, he hears a knock on the door.

"May I come in?" Elias asks from the other side. "I thought I would see you to bed."

“Um.” Jon stands there for a moment, unsure of himself. He isn’t really used to anyone being in his room when he’s getting ready to go to sleep, but then again, he and his grandmother hadn’t been very close. Maybe this is what normal people do. He makes sure his pyjama top is properly buttoned up before calling out: "Sure."

Elias enters the room, giving him an apologetic smile.

"I’m sorry if this is awkward. I must confess, this is all very new for me too." Elias nods towards the bed. "If you get in, I will turn the lights off for you."

Jon frowns. "I’m not a little kid," he says, but he walks over to the bed, pulling the covers aside.

"No, of course not." As Jon gets in, Elias walks over to the bed as well, standing aside while Jon pulls the covers over himself. As Jon lies down, Elias reaches down for him, running his hand briefly through Jon’s hair. "But I do wish you sleep well tonight, Jon. I know it can be hard in a new place."

Jon stares up at him, surprised by his touch. Elias’s hand leaves his hair as soon as it landed there, and he steps away from the bed. "Good night, Jon."

"Good night," Jon whispers, not sure how to feel. He hasn’t been touched like that in a long time; while gestures like these weren’t completely absent when he lived with his grandmother, they weren’t too commonplace either. It’s been a while. Maybe he has just forgotten, how it feels like to be touched.

It feels good.

After the door closes, Jon listens as Elias walks over to his own room, hears that door close as well. Only then does he close his eyes, deciding to see if he can catch some sleep.

*

Jon dreams.

He dreams of the hospital, waiting in the corridors to hear what has happened to his grandmother. He is all alone; nobody takes notice of him, nobody cares. He has no idea what will become of his future, if he has any at all. He hugs himself tight, pretending it’s comfort.

"Jon."

He is in his new bedroom, and he's not sure whether he's still dreaming or not. Elias is there, however, sitting on the edge of the bed, stroking Jon's hair and smiling down to him. Jon has just met him, but for some reason, he already finds his presence soothing. He wants to trust him so much.

"Good night," Elias whispers, and leans down to kiss him on the forehead.

Jon starts awake, finding himself alone in the room. So, that was just a dream too; though part of him sags with relief, happy that Elias isn't here to see his flushed face, part of him can't help but feel disappointed.


End file.
